12 Days of Christmas Cookies – Maid of Honor Tarts
by Amy Johnson, Managing Editor, HockeyPub.com
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Looking for something a bit more fancy than a traditional cookie for your holiday dessert table this year? Today’s feature shows you how to make delectable little jam-filled tarts which are sure to be a terrific conversation piece for your guests. Chantal, Managing Editor at AllHabs.net, sent along this recipe – a tribute to her neighbour who is a terrific cook and baker and makes them for her. Thanks to Chantal for sharing such a unique recipe with us!
Now you might be wondering why they’re called Maid of Honor Tarts. There are actually a lot of theories about it, many of them revolving around British royalty in the times of King Henry VIII or Queen Elizabeth I. So it seems that not only are these treats pretty to look at and tasty to eat, they’re also a great conversation piece!
Maid of Honor Tarts
Recipe courtesy Chantal (@habsgirl4life)
Prep time: 20 minutes
Makes 20 individual tarts
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, separated
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup rice flour
1/2 cup shredded or flaked coconut
Strawberry or Raspberry jam ( I prefer raspberry in this recipe )
20 unbaked 2-inch (5 cm) tart shells
1. In bowl, cream together butter and sugar; beat in egg yolk.
2. Add almond extract and flour.
3. Beat egg white until stiff; fold into creamed mixture.
4. Stir in coconut.
5. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of jam into each tart shell; top with about 1 tablespoon of the coconut mixture.
6. Bake in 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until topping is set and golden brown.
Be sure to check back tomorrow for our next holiday cookie recipe – Easy Chocolate Fudge! And if you missed any of our previous recipes in this series, take a moment to check them out below:
Day 1 – Golden Chocolate Chunk Nutty Bars
Day 2 – Inception Brownies
Day 3 – Traditional Butter Cookies
Day 4 – Devil’s Food Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
Day 5 – Sriracha Peanut Butter Cookies
Day 6 – Easy Jam-Filled Cookies
Day 7 – Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Day 8 – Eggnog Cookies
Photo credits: Amy Johnson, LondonEats.wordpress.com, HowToBaker.com, TrialX.org
I made these for Valentine’s Day & they were delicious! I ground the coconut in my food processor to get it finer, and I ended up with the texture I wanted. One concern, however, is that the coconut filling didn’t go far enough using 1 tbsp per tart, so I had to make more to fill the 20 tart shells. Since I was making these for my son’s class in a nut-free school, I also substituted vanilla extract with a touch of orange extract for the almond extract. It worked pretty well, but I still want to find a better substitute that won’t cause issues with the allergic kids in the school.
We’re so glad to hear that you tried this recipe, Elaine! I bet they were a big hit with your son and his classmates. Great idea to substitute the almond extract for allergy-friendly ingredients, and the orange flavor sounds like a nice variety. I’ll definitely have to try grinding the coconut for a smoother product!
Thanks again for trying one of our recipes. We’ve got lots of tasty items listed in the archives, and plenty more coming! Next time you try one feel free to send us a photo of your creation! You can submit photos (or recipes for us to try) via our Contact Form or by emailing me directly at amy@allhabs.net.